Flashing structure for roofs



Dec. 31, 1946. E. N. SMITH 2,413,588

FLASHING STRUCTURE FOR ROOFS Filed Aug. 31, 1945 Patented Dec. 31, 1946Application August 3.1, 1945, SerialNo. 613,907

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in flashingv structures forroofs, and has particular relation to structures of this type used inconnection with roofing of all types where connected with a parapetwall.

Roofing of this type is generally employed in buildings employingapproximately flat roofs, the front-and possibly the exposedsidesproject above the-body of the, roof in the form of a wall, theouter exposed face, of which may be more or less ornate, the type havingits name due to thefact that the upstanding wall somewhat simulatesaparapet with respectto the roof proper. Well-known illustrations of thetype are found in buildings used as stores on business streets, althoughnot limited to such service since less ornate dwellings are frequentlyformed. with this type of roofing. The roofs of the'type are general- 1yflat with the surface slightly inclined downwardly toward the rear toprovide drainage of the rain waters toward eaves through formationslocated generally at the rear of the building. The roof is generally ofmetal, paper or felt and frequently is coveredwith a bituminous coatinas a means of protection.

As. is apparent, the type of the, roof is such as to present one or morepoints of vulnerability, points where weather conditions areparticularly effective in producing deterioration in the life of theroof and developing leakage into the building. While the major portionof the root surface is generally unaffected by weather conditions, thefact that the roof joins the parapet wall at an angle-slightly obtusepresents a major condition which canlead to deterioration and leakage,since the roof covering has the characteristics of. an abutting relationto the'parapet and inasmuch, as the angularity away from this zone isbut slightly downward, there is apossibility of, water getting behind,and. under the roof and getting into; the. building at the junctionline, or; meeting angle, a. condition which tends to developrusting,loosening from the, wall or other deleterious effects. in the zone ofsuch line causing interior damage. The difficulty is increased throughthe fact that heavy and beating rains canv affect the covering of suchzonev since such rain also reaches the parapet wall and drains.

downward therefromto. such line. As a result, such roofs must befrequently repaired, with the repair generally requiring removal of theold roof and substitution of. a new-one.

Efforts have been made to decrease the vulnerability in these, respects,these generally involving the protection of such line zone. The

method more frequently employed, is that of extending the covering forthe tin upwardly for some distance on the inner parapet Wall, thuscovering the line with a continuous coating with the change in directionpresented in the form of a curve so that the drainage from the parapetWall is given no opportunity of collecting at such line-the coating ismade thicker at such zone to withstand the beating of the rain, and toaid'in the down draining on the parapet wall the upper zone of the addedcoating is gradually thinned upwardly and merged or blended into theface of the wall, the purpose being to prevent seepage back of thecoating and to carry the drainage away from the direct joining line.While such structure tends to reduce the collection of the water andleakage, and thus tends to prolong the life of the'roof to some extent,the fact that the weather conditions also are active on this upper zoneof decreasing thickness tends to render this zone vulnerable todeterioration and permit leakage developments. In some cases, thecovering for the line zone has been elaborated by the use the result ofefforts made by the inventor over a number of years of service inrepairing roofs of this type, during which he was confronted withconditions the sources of which had been unrealized until brought intothe open through particular installations. One of' these findings wasthat rain alone was not the only hazard of weather conditions, but thatwindsand even sunshine--were sources which could affect conditions,especially in the upper zone of the parapet coating and permit of theleakage development. Many other possible conditions were found, andthere came a realization that a structure capable of producing a reallymeritorious prolongation of the life of a roof of this type wouldrequire a structure designed to reduce the hazards from v these numeroussources to a minimum, this being the. underlying object of the presentinvention.

Among the objects of the invention is the production of a flashingstructure which is supported by the parapet walland which will protectthe upper zone of the applied coating against weather conditions,including wind, hail, rain and sunshine; which will deliver the rainfallof the parapet zone on the roof beyond the immediate zone of joiningline of roof and parapet to thereby protect the line zone; a structurewhich is entirely metallic, and which can be readily disassembled forrepairs, etc., and a structure which can be fashioned at low cost, andcan be readily installed and disassembled.

To these and other ends, the nature of which will be better understoodas the invention is here,- inafter disclosed, said invention consists ofthe improved construction and combination of parts, hereinafter morefully disclosed, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which similar reference charactersindicate similar parts,

Figure 1 is a view partly in section and partly in perspective, showinga section of the flashing structure in service position.

Figure 2 is a detail view of a modified anchoring means.

Referring more particularly to Figure P indicates a parapet wallextending upwardly from the deck or roof R, of a building-the wall P maybe the upper zone of the front of the building, and is usually providedwith a suitable top configuration; in practice, I prefer that the topzone have the upper surface preferably inclined with the inner and outeredges forming the similar edges of a ledge p projecting beyond thenormal side walls of the parapet; this tends to drain the water off thetop in such way that the water dripping from the ledge will fall free ofthe vertical wall of the parapet.

The deck or roof R leads rearwardly from wall P, preferably with a slopedownward sufficient to provide for ready draining of rain, the roofbeing of any preferred construction, and is generally provided with anytype of roofing, the latter being indicated at C, and which preferablyis carried to the angle corner between the roof and parapet wall andthen upwardly along the wall a distance sufficient to carry its upperzone c a considerable distance above the top of the roof, the actualdistance depending upon the height of the parapet, and which may be asmuch as 50% of the height of the wall; the zone is preferably of areducing thickness, with the reduction in an upward direction, with theupper edge merging or blending into the wall, thus providing that anydrainage which became manifest on the upper portion of the wall would beled from the wall on to and over zone c to reach the exposed face of thevertical portion of coating C; the meeting angle of the vertical and thedeck portions of the coating C is preferably thickened, with the exposedface (this, however, has proven unsatisfactory since it does not remainadhered to the wall) curved to cause any drainage to readily pass on tothe deck coating away from the joining line of the roof and wall.

The flashing employed with the above assemblage is generally ofgalvanized sheet metal construction, and while it may be fashioned toextend the entire lateral distance across the parapet wall, it ispreferred to make it sectional in such direction with overlapping edgesas it is very necessary that expansion and contraction be allowed for;in either case the cross-sectional contour of the flashing would be thesame; the continuous form, which is not recommended, would be made up ofsections permanently secured together as by a seam formation, while thesectional form would have the overlapping edges allowing the expansionand contraction. Hence, a description of the sectional form will besufiiciently explanatory.

The upper zone of the flashing structure presents the portion which isanchored permanently to the parapet wall. This zone has the upper wallit, a vertical wall II extending downwardly from the outer edge of wallI0 and a lower wall 52 extending rearwardly from wall H, these wallsforming a hollow projecting portion with the rear wide open is such asto extend outward some distance beyond the width of the parapet wallledgefor instance, in practice the width of this portion may be one inchwith the ledge projecting one-fourth inch; the upper wall is slightlysloping downward from its rear edgepreferably at an angle similar tothat of the deck R; wall I2 is preferably horizontal. The metal is thenbent to provide a forwardlyextending wall l3, parallel to wall I2 andwhich may be slightly spaced therefrom, the width of such wall beingless than that of wall l2- for instance, the width of wall l3 may beonehalf inch. The metal is then bent downward to form a depending wall I4, of considerable downward width-for instance a distance of two inches,this being illustrative only, since the distance would depend somewhaton the height of the parapet wall.

Secured to wall l4on the inner side of the 1atteris a wall l5, referredto herein as a fly. This wall is a flat wall, having an overall downwardwidth of any required dimension; for instance, such dimension may be asmuch as eight inches or more, of which one and a half inches mayunderlie wall l4. Such width dimensions are illustrative only, sincethey depend upon the height of the parapet wall, but they must besufiicient to carry the lower edge of the fly a considerable distancebelow the coating zone c-for instance, the latter distance may be asmuch as or more than two inches. The fly is secured to wall M by screwsl6, these being spaced apart at distances of say four inches.

The flashing thus described is secured in position by means of bolts I!which extend through wall H and the space between walls. l0 and I2, andare anchored in the parapet wall. To prevent caving in of wall H insecuring the flashing in position, a washer I8 is located on the boltoutside of wall II and beneath the bolt head Ha. which may have asuitable configurationbut is preferably provided with a kerf to make itof screw-head type.

Anchoring of bolt may be in any well-known manner. For instance, if theparapet wall is solid, an opening of suitable depth is made in the walland a sleeve-like element I 9 inserted and then expanded; this elementis internally threaded to receive the "bolt; in other words, the sleeveis anchored in the wall and the bolt then threaded therein. If theparapet wall be a hollow wall, as in Fig. 2, the bolt may be of thetoggle type in which the nut section 20 rests in contact with an innerface of the hollow wall when the bolt is in a secured position. Both arewell-known methods of anchoring bolts.

The flashing is positioned on a parapet wall with the free edge of wallIt! contacting the parapet wall a short distance below the top of thelatter-for instance, a distance of one and one-half inches or more; thefree edge of wall 10 is drawn into close engagement with the exposedparapet wall, and since wall iflprojects considerably beyond lledge p,drainage from the top of the parapet will fall on wall H remotefromsuchedge and drain away from the latter due to the inclination ofthe wall ill. such free edge engagement remains one of the criticalpoints in connection with the flashing since the rain which may reachthe-parapet below the .ledge'will drain downward over the wall and thusreach the edge zone. Since the edge closely engages the parapet face andwall IE is inclined downwardly, the drainage from the face will mostlyimmediately flow away'from the edge over the wall 5%, seepage of smallamounts past the edgebeing eliminated by application of waterproofcement or mastic.

A second point, less critical, is at the point w'herethe bend connectingwalls I2 and [3 engage the parapet wall, since this point is itselfprotected from the rain by the hollow projected zone formed by walls 56,l l and [2, its critical effect would be produced by the water seepingpast the upper edge which has been eliminated as heretofore mentioned.Hence, the amount of water that would reach the zone of the coating ofthe parapet wall would be limited to that which would seep by wall illand would be stopped at that point.

Since the hollow projected zone vertical wall I l lies'materiallyoutside of faces'lt and IS, with the latter materially spaced from theparapet wall, the drainage coming from wall I!) will pass down over wall5 i and fall freely on to the coating of the deck some distance awayfrom the curved zone of the coating at the meeting angle of the deck andparapet wall, and therefore free to flow downward over the inclined faceof the coating of the deck.

Hence, not only is the zone 0 and the parapet coating below it,protected against the development of leakage conditions behind thecoatingto thereby reduce the possibility of damage development of themetallic or built-up portion of the roof, but the curved coating zone atthe meeting point will be protected against all rain conditions sincethe rain content reaching the portion M and fly l5 will flow downwardand fall from the lower edge of the fly outwardly beyond the curvedzone; such beating rain below the fly would thus have to pass throughthe pseudo durtains produced by the falling content from wall l0 andthat falling from fly i5, a condition tending to reduce the power of therain on the curved zone.

As a result, the deck covering is practically freed from thedevelopmentof conditions such as would set up rust or deteriorationconditions developing on the roof, so far as these emanate from thepresence of the parapet wall.

In connection with the repair of the assemblage or of the roof deck, itis apparent that the fly must be removed to permit ready access to theaffected parts. The formation of the fly as separate from dependingportion l4 and sectional, permits such ready removal by removal ofscrews since the sections of the fiy are more or less individual totheir positions, the sections can be numbered or otherwise marked toindicate their positions, and can therefore be readily replaced in theirformer positions.

While the invention is usable in connection with new buildings, it isespecially valuable in connection with buildings previously erected, and

in which the replacing of the roof has been fre- However, 7

qu'ent and expensive. The assemblage "can readily appliedto suchbuildings.

- As is apparent, the combined depending portion l4 and the flyformation combinedly produce the effect of a curtain which overlies-inspaced apart relation theretothe face of the parapet wall and aconsiderable portion of the coating thereof. This curtain effect notonly shields the wall behind it from weather conditions such as rain andhail, but also from the sunlight, as well as from direct wind pressure.The space in rear of the curtain is open at both ends, so that wind maytraverse the space, but its movement therethrough is parallel with theface and not toward it. In addition, the curtain not only shields theprotected portion of the Wall from the direct rays of the sun, but theopen space in rear of the curtain permits air circula- 'tiontherethrough so that the wall-and especially the blending zone of thecoating is not subjected to the high heat conditions which result fromintense sun rays, thus tending to prolong the life of such coating. 7

As is obvious, the flashing will prolong the normal-life of the roofdeck, for reasons above pointed out; however, the invention is notassumed to eliminate the need for roof repairs, since the latter may berequired for reasons other than normal weather conditions.

While I have herein shown and described a' preferred form of theinvention, it will be understood that changes or modifications thereinmay be found desirable or essential in meeting the exigencies of serviceconditions orthe individual desires of the user, and I therefore reservethe right to make any and all such changes or modifications as may befound desirable or essential, insofar as the same may fall within thespirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the accompanyingclaims, when broadly construed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In flashing structures for parapet roofs, wherein the roof deckcoating extends upwardly upon and blends into the wall face of theparapet wall a, material distance above the meeting angle of the deckand parapet wall, and whereinthe coating at such meeting angle presentsa curved face of the concave type to facilitate drainage, thecombination with such roof assemblage, of a flashing assemblagesupported by the parapet wall and forming a curtain for a materialportion or portions of the parapet wall including the blending zone ofsuch coating, said flashing assemblage being of sheet metal type andincluding an integral projecting wall formation of hollow character withits upper and lower walls of similar width and with the lower wallcontinued with a return bend for a width less than the width of suchlower wall and then bent downward to form the upper zone of thedepending curtain, means for anchoring said projecting wall formation tothe parapet wall with the upper wall spaced below the top of theparapet, and a flat fly formation removably secured to the under face ofthe depending wall of the projecting wall formation, and extendingdownward a material distance below such blending zone and spaced fromthe deck coating, whereby drainage from the parapet wall and the curtainwill normally fall to the deck in two spaced parallel vertical planesboth spaced from the coating curved zone with the falling drainagecontent tending to provide a protection barrier for the coating curvedzone against beating rainfall and with the curtain forming a barrier forthe coating blending zone against rainfall, wind and sunshine access tothe zone.

2. Assemblage as in claim 1 characterized in that the projecting wallformation contacts the parapet wall solely at the rear edge of the upperwall and at the bend from the lower wall to thereby leave the rear ofthe hollow formation open, thus affecting two seals against the wall,the anchoring means being exposed external of the ver tical wallconnecting the upper and lower walls and extending through the hollowinterior and the open rear into the parapet wall.

3. Assemblage as in claim 1 characterized in that the projecting wallformation contacts the parapet wall solely at the rear edge of the upperwall and at the bend from the lower wall to thereby leave the'rear ofthe hollow formation open, the anchoring means being exposed external ofthe vertical wall connecting the upper and lower walls and extendingthrough the hollow interior and the open rear into the parapet wall,said means being of the bolt type with each bolt carrying a memberbetween its head and the exposed face of the vertical wall to therebyprevent caving of such wall and of the hollow formation.

4. Assemblage as in claim 1 with the parapet wall including a topprojecting ledge, such assemblage being characterized in that the upperwall of the hollow portion of the projecting wall formation is inclineddownward from its free edge to facilitate the passage of drainage fromthe exposed portion of the parapet wall and having a width materiallygreater than the projected width of the ledge to thereby provide adraining face receiving the drainage from the ledge on a line remotefrom the meeting angle of the free rear edge of the upper wall theparapet wall to reduce the volume of drainage reaching such meetingangle and thereby eliminate seepage at such angle.

5. Assemblage as in claim 1 with the parapet wall including a topprojecting ledge, such assemblage being characterized in that the upperwall of the hollow portion of the projecting wall formation is inclineddownward from its free edge to facilitate the passage of drainage fromthe exposed portion of the parapet wall and having a, width materiallygreater than the projected width of the ledge to thereby provide adraining face receiving the drainage from the ledge on a line remotefrom the meeting angle of the free rear edge of the upper wall theparapet wall to reduce the volume of drainage reaching such meetingangle and thereby eliminating seepage at such angle, the contact of theband and the angle to eliminate seepage along the parapet wall below thebend to thereby provide protection of the coating blending zone againstparapet wall drainage conditions.

6. Assemblage as in claim 1 characterized in that the fly formation isin the form of a plurality of individual sheet members arranged inlateral alinement and with overlapping relation, each member beingremovably secured individually to the depending zone of the projectingwall formation to thereby permit removal and replacement when deckrepairs are needed.

EDWARD N. SMITH.

